Margaret of Provence

Margaret of Provence (1221-20 December 1295) was Queen consort of France from 27 May 1234 to 25 August 1270 with King Louis IX of France.

Biography
Margaret was born in 1221, the daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV of Provence and Beatrice of Savoy, the elder sister of Eleanor of Provence, Sanchia of Provence, and Beatrice of Provence, who would be queens of England, Germany, and Sicily, respectively. Queen Mother Blanche of Castile of France convinced Count Ramon Berenguer IV to marry Margaret to her son Louis IX of France, and Margaret married him at the age of thirteen in 1234, being crowned on 27 May. Margaret resented her motherin-law, who controlled politics and attempted to keep the newlyweds apart due to her jealousy and her loss of power. Margaret put cloaks on Louis when he prayed on cold nights, and she was a loving and attentive wife. Margaret and Beatrice of Provence accompanied King Louis IX on the Seventh Crusade in 1249, and she would help in collecting a ransom in order to pay for Louis' release. In 1270, her beloved husband died on the Eighth Crusade in Tunis, and she lived for twenty-five more years, dying at the age of 74 in 1295.